In this section

31. THE COLLEGE OF THE ANNUNCIATION OF ST. MARY IN THE NEWARKE, LEICESTER (fn. 1)

In April 1330, Henry, Earl of Lancaster,
obtained a royal licence to establish a hospital at
Leicester, and in the following January the earl
by letters patent founded the hospital in honour of
the Annunciation of St. Mary, for a warden, four
chaplains, fifty poor and infirm folk, and five
women attendants. (fn. 2) The building of the hospital
seems to have been begun in 1330. (fn. 3) The founder's
regulations of January 1331 provided that the
warden and chaplains, though secular clerks, were
to lead a common life, and to wear a habit marked
with a white crescent and star. The warden was
to be elected by the chaplains, and then presented
by the patron to the bishop. Of the fifty poor
folk, twenty were to be permanent inmates of the
hospital, living in a house beside the hospital's
church, while the remaining thirty, who were to
be admitted temporarily, were to be housed on
beds in the body of the church. (fn. 4) In 1334 the
hospital obtained papal licence for the celebration
of all the sacraments in its chapel, and for the
burial of those attached to the house in its
cemetery. (fn. 5) The original endowment consisted of
the site of the hospital, 4 carucates at Leicester,
and the advowson of Irchester (Northants.),
with certain common rights in the founder's
woods around Leicester. (fn. 6) In 1331 Earl Henry
added the advowson of Duffield (Derbys.) to
the hospital's possessions. (fn. 7) The rectories of
Irchester and Duffield were both appropriated
to the hospital when they fell vacant. (fn. 8)

After the death of Henry of Lancaster the
patronage of the hospital passed to his son Henry,
created Duke of Lancaster in 1351, who munificently enlarged his father's foundation. In 1353
the duke obtained the Pope's permission for the
transformation of the hospital into a college with
a dean and canons. (fn. 9) In 1354 the duke provided
that there should be in the enlarged foundation a
dean, 12 canons, 13 vicars, 3 other clerks, a verger,
100 poor folk, and I o women attendants to care
for the poor, (fn. 10) but it was not until the following
year that the endowment was increased by the
grant of the manors of Inglesham (Wilts.),
Wollaston (Northants.), Kempsfprd (Gloucs.),
Chedworth (Gloucs.), and Hannington (Wilts.),
with the advowsons of Edmonthorpe (Leics.),
Wymondham (Leics.), Higham Ferrers (Northants.), Raunds (Northants.), and Hannington
(Wilts.). The college was authorized to appropriate the churches. (fn. 11) The churches of Llandyfaelog and Pembrey in Carmarthenshire were
added to the college's possessions in 1356, in
exchange for the advowsons of Edmonthorpe and
Wymondham, which were restored to the Duke of
Lancaster. (fn. 12) The college's regulations, as drawn
up by Duke Henry and revised by Bishop
Gynewell, (fn. 13) provided that the dean, canons, and
vicars should all be priests; the poor folk were all
to live together in one house, containing a chapel
where masses were to be said daily for the poor;
when the office of dean fell vacant, the canons
were to nominate two persons to the duke, to his
lieutenant if he should be. abroad, or to the duke's
heirs after his death, and one of the two was to be
chosen for presentation to the bishop; new canons
were to be chosen by the duke or his heirs, and
presented to the bishop for institution; the dean,
canon, and vicars were to be allowed to be absent
for up to two months every year, provided that no
more than three canons and three vicars were
absent at any one time; the canons and vicars were
not to celebrate yearly masses or trentals for the
souls of deceased persons, but were to rest content
with their stipends; the dean and canons were
each to have a separate house, and each vicar was
to dwell in the house of one of the canons.

As established by Duke Henry the college was
adequately endowed, and the regulations carefully
provided for the maintenance of the morals of its
clergy and the due celebration of the divine
offices. (fn. 14) Duke Henry died in 1361, but John of
Gaunt, who after a short interval succeeded to
the Duchy of Lancaster, proved to be a generous
patron of the college. In 1363 a licence was
obtained for the alienation to the college.by John
and his wife of the church of Llanelly, in Carmarthenshire. (fn. 15) The building of the college
church continued, and in 1374 John of Gaunt
granted 100 marks yearly, payable from the
honour of Tutbury, to pay for its completion. (fn. 16) It
was, however, not finished until after 1414. (fn. 17) By
his will John provided for the establishment of a
chantry with two chaplains in the college church, (fn. 18)
though it was not until 1410 that the chantry was
endowed by the grant to the college of the
Warwickshire manors of Draycote and Bourton. (fn. 19)
At about the same period other chantries were
founded in the college church: (fn. 20) in 1401 a
licence was issued for the foundation of a chantry,
endowed with the advowson of Arnold (Notts.),
for the soul of John Elvet; (fn. 21) in 1406 Mary
Hervey gave to the college two manors at Southrop
(Gloucs.), for the establishment of a chantry for
the souls of her husband, William Hervey, of
Alexander Dalby, and of herself after her death; (fn. 22)
and Thomas, Duke of Clarence, provided in his
will for the establishment of a chantry in the
collegiate church, though his wishes do not seem
to have been carried out. (fn. 23) Other important
additions to the college's possessions were the
manor and advowson of Cransley (Northants.),
granted by Simon Symeon in 1380, (fn. 24) the advowson
of Preston in Amounderness (Lanes.), granted by
Henry IV in 1400, (fn. 25) and the advowson of Bradford (Yorks.), granted by Henry V in 1416. (fn. 26)

Despite these rich endowments and the detailed
system of rules, the internal affairs of the college
were in a very unsatisfactory state by 1440, when
Bishop Alnwick visited the house. (fn. 27) Several
canons were accused of immorality, (fn. 28) and one was
deprived of his prebend for unnatural vice. (fn. 29) The
poor folk of the college complained that a plot of
land originally assigned to them as a garden had
been used as a site for a stable, and that certain
payments due to them had been selfishly withheld
by the canons, (fn. 30) while on the other hand it was
said that sick people who had been received into
the almshouse remained there after their recovery,
and worked for gain. (fn. 31) There were also complaints regarding the celebration of the divine
offices in the collegiate church. (fn. 32) Though there
were some complaints about the handling of
business affairs by the provost, (fn. 33) to whom the
management of the college's goods was entrusted,
there is no indication that the college was in
serious pecuniary difficulties.

For a considerable period after the visitation of
1440 there is little evidence about the internal
state of the college. The deans, during the later
15th century, were mostly men who held important preferments outside Leicester. (fn. 34) The provision that the dean should be chosen from amongst
the canons (fn. 35) was at first evaded by the practice of
admitting the persons selected as deans to canonries
for a qualifying period of a few days, before their
advancement to the deanery. (fn. 36) Later, from 1485
onwards, the deans seem to have been chosen
merely at the will of the Crown as patron, without election, and usually without having previously obtained a canonry in the college. (fn. 37) Under
Edward IV, the college was fortunate in gaining
the friendship of William, Lord Hastings, who
bestowed on it the Hospital of St. Leonard, at
Leicester, in return for an annuity of £20 for
life, and for the keeping of the obits of himself arid
of his wife Katherine after his death. (fn. 38) Hastings
also obtained St. John's Hospital, at Leicester, for
the college. (fn. 39) In 1491 the college was provided
with new statutes issued by John Russell, Bishop
of Lincoln, one of a commission appointed by the
Pope in 1488 with powers to revise and add to the
rules of the house. (fn. 40) Some minor relaxations were
allowed by the new regulations. The number of
months yearly during which the dean and canons
were allowed to be absent from the college was
increased from two to three and, in addition, the
dean was allowed to be absent for a further two
months, for recreation, and every canon beneficed
elsewhere for a further month. Vicars were
still allowed only two months' leave of absence
yearly. (fn. 41) The rule which forbade canons and vicars,
while in residence, to sleep outside the college
was also to some extent relaxed. (fn. 42) In 1513
William Wigston founded a chantry in the college church. Wigston paid 100 marks to the
college, and gave it the manor of Chester-by-theWater (Northants.); in return the college agreed
to pay the two chaplains of the chantry a yearly
stipend of £7 each, and to celebrate Wigston's
obit annually. (fn. 43)

The record of the episcopal visitation of the
college in 1518 reveals no such serious faults as
had come to light in 1440, but does show that in
some ways the state of the college was not good.
It was reported that the canons and vicars did not
attend the divine offices as they should, that the
canons frequented taverns, and that women were
received into the college without licence. (fn. 44) The
canons complained of the arbitrary conduct of the
dean, George Grey. (fn. 45) No serious delinquency
was revealed, and there is no evidence that the
college's finances were in an unsatisfactory state.
A more detailed account of the college's affairs is
provided by a visitation of 1525, carried out by
Bishop Longland. (fn. 46) It is evident from the record
of the visitation that there had been constant
friction between the dean and Lady Hungerford,
who with her second husband was living within
the college precincts, and various scuffles had
taken place in the college between the servants of
the two parties. The dean was evidently also on
bad terms with some of the canons. The visitation
gives little evidence of any immorality in the
college, though one of the canons was accused of
incontinence. The bishop's injunctions suggest
that in 1525 the college's finances were not
altogether sound. (fn. 47) As in 1518, there were complaints about the irregular attendance of canons
and vicars in choir, while, as in 1440, it was stated
that people were allowed to remain in the almshouse after they had recovered from their sickness.
It was further revealed that many of the poor had
been admitted through bribery. The bishop in
his injunctions endeavoured to remedy the faults
revealed in the visitation, and especially to establish
good relations between the dean and canons. (fn. 48)
His efforts were apparently successful, for when
the college was visited in 1528 by the chancellor
of the diocese the dean and canons seem to have
been on good terms. (fn. 49) No serious faults were
disclosed in 1528, though complaints were made
about the vicars' lax attendance in choir, and one
of the canons was continually absent from the
college. (fn. 50)

The college for some time survived the great
religious changes of the 16th century. In 1534
the dean and thirty of the college clergy acknowledged the royal supremacy over the Church, (fn. 51) and
Dr. Layton, visiting the college in the following
year, reported that it was occupied by honest men,
and that there were £300 in the treasury. (fn. 52)
There seems at one time to have been a possibility
that the college might be changed into a cathedral. (fn. 53)
The clear yearly income of the college was
assessed in 1535 at £595. 7s. 4d. (fn. 54) In 1544 the
college was visited by the bishop's representative;
the surviving records of this visitation mention no
major faults, though it seems that some of the
college clergy were in the habit of frequenting
taverns. (fn. 55) In 1545, however, by the first Act for
the Dissolution of Chantries the college, and the
chantries associated with it, were placed in the
king's hands. The certificate drawn up under this
Act gives the total yearly income of the college as
just over £850. (fn. 56) Henry VIII was apparently unwilling to destroy a religious house so closely connected with his Lancastrian ancestors, (fn. 57) but after
his death the college was suppressed under
Edward VI's Act for the Dissolution of Chantries,
which provided that all chantry foundations should
cease to exist at Easter 1548, their property passing to the king. (fn. 58) The dean received a pension of
£20 a year, the canons pensions of £10 each, and
the vicars and chantry priests pensions of £6
each. (fn. 59)

The College of the Newarke thus ceased to
exist in its original form, and the collegiate church
was before long demolished. (fn. 60) The subsequent
history of the hospital attached to the college
cannot be dealt with here.

A 14th-century seal (fn. 67) of the college is a vesica,
2¼ by 1⅜ in., showing the Virgin Mary seated on
a throne under a canopy, with the infant Jesus on
her knee. Both have the right hand raised in the
attitude of blessing. All that remains of the
legend is:

S' CAP...ULI.....ESTRIE

The large and very beautiful 15th-century
seal (fn. 68) of the college represents the Annunciation.
The archangel Gabriel is depicted holding a
scroll bearing the letters A.M.G., while the Virgin
holds a scroll inscribed ECCE AN. DO. Below is a
shield bearing the arms of England differenced
with a label. The seal is about 2½ by 1½ in.
The legend reads:

S' CŌE. DECANI. ET. CAPL'I. NOVE. ECCL. COLL.

BĒ. MAR'. LEYC . . . ĒR. DUCE LARB. FŪDATE.

Footnotes

1. This account is almost entirely based on A. Hamilton Thompson's Hist. of the Hosp. and New Coll. of
the Annunciation of St, Mary in the Newarke.

13. For a transl. of the rules, with an account of the
various additions and revisions made to them, see ibid.
41-81. For the full Latin text, see A. Hamilton
Thompson, 'Notes on Coll. of Secular Canons in Engl.',
Arch. Jnl. lxxiv, 200-39.

14. Hamilton Thompson, Hist. of Hosp. of the Annunciation in the Newarke. 55-57, 59, 61-63, 71.

38. Ibid. 118; Cal. of Chart, and other Doc. Belonging
to the Hosp. of Wm. Wyggeston at Leicester, ed. A.
Hamilton Thompson. 89.

39. Hamilton Thompson, Hist. of Hosp. of. the Annunciation in the Newarke, 118, citing Nichols, Leics.
i, 333, states that Hastings granted the revenues and
advowson of St. John's to the coll. But the exact means
by which the coll. obtained St. John's seems doubtful.
See the account of St. John's Hosp., Leic., p. 40.

40. Hamilton Thompson, Hist. of Hasp. of the Annunciation in the Newarke, 120.

56. A. Hamilton Thompson, Hist. of Hosp. of the Annunciation in the Newarke, 206. For full text of the
cert., see A. Hamilton Thompson, 'The Chant. Certs.
for Leics.', Assoc. Arch. Soc. Rep. and Papers, xxx,
515-27.